A week after it sealed its acquisition of Time Warner, AT&T trotted out a new skinny bundle. WatchTV, aimed at those elusive cord-cutters and cord-nevers, offers a bundle for as little as $15 per month, and free to AT&T customers with select data plans. WatchTV, which launches next week, will comprise about 30 TV channels, including new AT&T family members CNN, TNT and TBS; AMC Networks channels, and Discovery Communications and Viacom nets.(Source: Cynopsis)

Another digital studio is rising at Viacom. MTV Studios, focused on developing and producing for internal as well as outside buyers both new unscripted shows and reboots, revivals and spinoffs culled from MTV’s library of 200-plus titles, is ramping up operations. A return of the network’s reality series The Real World with Bunim/Murray Productions is among the early crown jewels. Initial slate also includes animated comedy Daria & Jodie, a reimagining of ‘90s series Daria, from writer Grace Edwards (Inside Amy Schumer); a reboot of unscripted series Made and the live-action remake of animated sci-fi series Aeon Flux, from Jeff Davis (Teen Wolf).
(Source: Cynopsis)

In related Viacom news, the media behemoth is in a new deal with Netflix to begin making network-branded shows directly for the service. First up will be the Nickelodeon-branded show Pinky Malinky, which follows the title character, a hotdog living in a human world.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Whistle Sports announced it has raised more than $28 million in funding in a Series D equity round in progress is led by Aser, a global investment company founded by Andrea Radrizzani. The round includes investments from Liberty Media, Emil Capital, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo and others. Whistle Sports will use the funds in part to expand its catalog of free and premium original content.
(Source: Cynopsis)

John Oliver and his HBO show Last Week Tonight are banned, at least for the near term, from China’s Weibo microblogging platform after segments in which Oliver lambasted China’s president Xi Jinping and likens him to Winnie the Pooh. Nope, you can’t make this stuff up.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Writer, director and producer Steven S. DeKnight signed a multiyear overall deal with Netflix for series and other projects, including films. DeKnight was showrunner and exec producer for season 1 of Netflix’s Marvel’s Daredevil, and he created, wrote and exec-produced Starz series Spartacus, among other projects.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Kim Raver will co-executive produce a trilogy of films for Lifetime based on novels by international best-selling author Jane Green. Tempting Fate, the first of the batch, will also be Raver’s in directorial debut. Additional titles are To Have and to Hold and Family Pictures. Tempting Fate, from Raver, Manu Boyer (To Whom It May Concern) and Green, began production yesterday and stars Alyssa Milano (Insatiable, Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later) in a story of a mother-of two whose picture-perfect marriage is jeopardized when she meets a handsome younger man. What begins as a business opportunity soon develops into an emotional affair leading to life-changing consequences. In addition to Green, Raver and Boyer, Dave Fleming and Shane Salerno will exec produce the trio of movies, which will all debut on Lifetime next year.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season 2 of scripted comedy series Strangers, about the life of a bisexual young woman, premieres this Sunday, June 24 on Facebook Watch, with a new episode dropping every Sunday at 6p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Pop TV continues to go big on Big Brother. Big Brother After Dark, an unfiltered late-night feed from the house, returns seven nights a week for 13 straight weeks beginning Thursday, June 28 from 1-4a. Also headed back to the network is a new season of original comedy series Swedish Dicks, debuting with back-to-back episodes every Thursday starting July 26 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Real estate and home renovation experts Eric and Lindsey Bennett will fix and flip more hot properties in Palm Springs, CA, in a new 14-episode season of HGTV’s Desert Flippers, premiering on Tuesday, July 24, at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Summer drama: August 31 is the date Netflix picked to debut the second season of crime drama Ozark. Second season will see the Byrde family continuing to navigate the troubled money laundering and drug cartel waters they waded into during the premiere season.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Digital documentary series ABC News Features yesterday released Prejudice and Pride, days ahead of the 45th anniversary of the attack at New Orleans gay bar UpStairs Lounge. The doc recounts the fire and the aftermath that swept through New Orleans via new interviews with survivors, first responders, activists, journalists and family members of the dead.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sony Crackle is teasing the network’s new summer comedy-horror movie Office Uprising, launching July 19. The movie will premiere on Crackle ahead of the wide release exclusively through PlayStation and PlayStation July 12-15 and on Amazon Fire TV July 16-18 via the Sony Crackle app.
(Source: Cynopsis)

AXS TV will have viewers rockin’ around the tree with a special “Christmas In July” promo, stocked with classic holiday concerts on Saturday, July 28 beginning at 8a. Among featured performances are those by Kelsey Grammer with the cast of the hit musical Big Fish, The Killers, Seal, James Blunt, Louis Tomlinson and Jennifer Nettles, Brian Setzer and Twisted Sister (because who doesn’t think holidays when they hear Twisted Sister?).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich is out following an internal investigation into a past relationship with an employee. The company announced yesterday morning Krzanich resigned, and is being replaced by Intel CFO Robert Swan, who will serve as interim CEO.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Snapchat Shows, the short-form serialized video format that had been used solely by premium content providers, will now be available to creators on the platform. Sean Mills, director of content partnerships at Snap, broke the news yesterday at Vidcon and said the first creator Show will feature makeup artist Patrick Starrr, creator and star of a E! makeover show Face Forward.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Podcastic: Spotify and Amy Schumer teamed for a new original podcast Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith, which launched yesterday on the streaming service. In the series, Schumer talks about intimate aspects of her life alongside her best friends and comedians Rachel Feinstein, Bridget Everett and Keith Robinson… Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations will feature a new interview with journalist, producer and author Maria Shriver. The interview will be available on Apple Podcasts and other platforms beginning Monday, June 25… Episode 4 of People’s new podcast series Cover-Up premiered yesterday (June 21) and probes the historic deadly car crash at Chappaquiddick involving Ted Kennedy.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Digital streaming service Cheddar is focusing its Saturday mornings around kids and family. Genius Brands International series Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club will make its debut on Cheddar on Saturday, June 23, with 26 half-hour eps available on Cheddar’s OTT partners, including Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, Philo, and fuboTV, and continuing throughout 2018 and 2019.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The return of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures earned an all-time ratings high for the series and the network. The season premiere on June 16 posted a 1.13 P25-54 L3 rating – up +88% year-over-year and setting a record as Travel Channel’s highest-rated program to date. Over 2.3 million total viewers tuned in to watch the episode, securing the #2 spot among ad-supported cable programs and #3 among all of television in P25-54 for the night.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Bravo’s Below Deck Mediterranean last week was the highest-rated episode of the season-to-date among P25-54 and total viewers, delivering 1.4 million P25-54 (up +3%) and 2.2 million total viewers (up +2%) in Live+3 Nielsens.
(Source: Cynopsis)

A sad day in the animal kingdom. The Gorilla Foundation reports that Koko, the sign language-genius gorilla who appeared on Mister Rogers Neighborhood and numerous documentaries, died Tuesday morning at the age of 46 in her sleep. Koko was born July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo and aside from her plentiful TV appearances was a National Geographic cover girl.
(Source: Cynopsis)

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